Cape Town - A blaze at the Cape Town office of the public protector did not damage any investigation files, according the Chapter 9 entity.
Head of Communications at the Public Protector, Oupa Segalwe, confirmed that a fire broke out at the office on Thursday morning and that the City’s fire department extinguished the fire.
“Staff are safe and no investigation files have been lost. The building is leased through Public Works. We have informed the department to bring this incident to the attention of the landlord. The department’s regional office will go and assess the extent of damage.”
Segalwe said the office does not know the cause of the fire as yet, and that this was the second time a fire had broken out at the office, the previous having taken place a few years ago.
The City’s Fire and Rescue Service spokesperson Jermaine Carelse said a storeroom and documentation were damaged in the fire.
“The City’s Fire and Rescue Service responded to an emergency call at 9am and by 10.03am the fire on the fourth floor of the building had been extinguished,” said Carelse.
“While the building was evacuated, crews from Roeland Street fire station had managed to contain the blaze to a single room.”
One person was treated on the scene for smoke inhalation. A fire investigator has been requested to determine the cause of the fire, said Carelse.
Netcare 911 spokesperson Shawn Herbst said its services responded to the fire, and upon arrival, the City’s Fire and Rescue Services were already in attendance.
“On scene with Netcare 911 was CSO Medical and traffic authorities. Fortunately, no injuries were reported. Circumstances leading up to the incident will be investigated by the relevant authorities,” said Herbst.